After the news of former President George H.W. Bush's passing [1] at age 94 on Nov. 30, a photo of his service dog, a 2-year-old Labrador Retriever named Sully, is going viral. The pooch, who joined the Bush family this past June, "was specifically matched with the president [2] to provide support during his daily activities" by America's VetDogs. Since then, the pair have been the best of friends, and Sully's Instagram account [3] has slowly filled with snaps of him at his owner's feet. Now a new photo of Sully, lying not at former President Bush's feet but in front of his American-flag-covered casket, is breaking hearts all over the internet.
"Mission complete," reads the emotional photo's caption on both Sully's Instagram page as well as on Bush's spokesman Jim McGrath's Twitter account [4], which is where it first appeared on the night of Dec. 2. The photo will likely be one of the last of Sully supporting the Bush family, as his new mission will be to return to America's VetDogs for the holiday season. After that, he'll join the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Facility Dog Program to help wounded veterans with both physical and occupational therapies.
Keep reading to see a few adorable photos of Sully with his best friend, the 41st president of the United States.
